<p>Hi, I'm using princeton review. I found it pretty easy to understand...just need to go over the acids and bases part on sparknotes because it wasn't well done in PR. </p>
<p>My question is, how thorough is PR? How realistic are the tests? How to the 3 practice test scores translate to test day scores?</p>
<p>Also, I see that sparknotes covers more than what is in PR....is sparknotes overkill or is PR not enough?</p>
<p>Thanks, sorta confused and worried.</p>
<p>I studied with PR too and PR did a really good job of covering pretty much everything that came out in the test.
The only problem was…my pacing sucked. I only read the book cover to cover, I didn’t take timed practice tests, so you SHOULD do so. Chemistry isn’t hard if you’re prepared. It just has many questions and it really, really sucks if you know the answers to questions but time doesn’t permit you to answer them.</p>
<p>When you’re through with PR you should take the Chemistry test in the Official CB SAT II book to see for yourself whether it covered everything.
Just be sure to take it under timed exam conditions so you don’t make the same mistake I did.</p>
<p>Awesome! Anyone else care to comment?</p>
<p>Is the PR curve the same as the real thing? What is the real test curve?</p>
<p>Also, can anyone comment on the difficulty of PR v. real thing?</p>
<p>What’s the quickest, most efficient way to boost up a Chem score? I got a 710 on the 1st practice test in PR and made quite a few silly errors/stuff I just didn’t take into account/didn’t remember. Just looking for quick ways that worked for you guys in an attempt to get a 750+ next Saturday. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>1.Just wondering, is the curve in PR the same as the real one?</p>
<p>2.Also, would you say that the difficulties were the same?</p>
<p>3.All the stores near me don’t have the official practice test for chem or math ii, (dont have that collegeboard SAT II book), so is there somewhere online that I could download a past test or anything?</p>
<p>4.Lastly, I wrote a practice test and got 710. The timing was fine, I just messed up a lot. Is it easy to stop these silly + errors that couldn’t be happening?</p>
<p>5.How much stuff on acids/bases is on the chem test?</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know/cant say about the curve because, as I said, I barely took PR’s practice tests. Although I know PR prepares you very well for the real deal so just study it well.</p>
<p>There were a few acids/bases questions in mine but there were easy (I remember a True/False regarding neutralization)</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s anywhere you can get official SAT II questions online. You might want to try shipping (even if it comes a few days before the test) or try out the questions here [Chemistry</a> Subject Test - SAT Chemistry Practice Questions & Tests](<a href=“http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-subject-test-preparation-chemistry?practiceTestSectionIDKey=Subject.CHEMISTRY]Chemistry”>http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice/sat-subject-test-preparation-chemistry?practiceTestSectionIDKey=Subject.CHEMISTRY)
They’re probably official.</p>
<p>If your messing up was as a result of nervousness or not being so comfortable, consistent practice would fix that and it will be really helpful on the test day since you’d already be familiar with the test. If it was a result of not knowing certain topics, you should go back and make sure you understand the topic. It is very important you understand the topics as the questions may come in different, sometimes tricky forms.</p>
<p>There really is no alternative method to acing the test other than just studying, understanding and taking timed practice tests. I can guarantee you Princeton Review is good enough and can bag you an 800 if study well.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>^Thanks for the response! </p>
<p>I have a few q’s from PR’s second practice test that I don’t understand (I think the answer explanation that it gave may be wrong too):</p>
<ol>
<li>Cu(s) + NO3(aq) + H+(aq) ----> Cu+2(aq) + NO2(g) + H2O(l) </li>
</ol>
<p>When the equation above is balanced with the lowest whole number coefficients, the coefficient for H+(aq) will be
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 5
Ans: D, no idea why it’s D</p>
<ol>
<li>Which of the following forms of radioactive decay has (have) no electrical charge?
I alpha decay
II beta decay
III gamma decay </li>
</ol>
<p>A) II only
B) III only
C) I and II only
D) I and III only
E) II and III only
Ans: B, I put D because isn’t alpha just the release of a He atom (atomic mass goes down by 4, atomic no. goes down by 2)? So, this released He atom is neutral, I believe, so then why isn’t alpha included? I’ll understand if I was wrong and if the He atom doesn’t include electrons (resulting in a positive +2 charge)</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<ol>
<li>Cu(s) + 2NO3(aq) + 4H+(aq) ----> Cu+2(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l) </li>
</ol>
<p>That is the equation when it’s balanced. Ignore the ions and the charges on them. In the equation, the Copper and Hydrogen ions are still the same as one Copper and one Hydrogen atom respectively. The ionic charge only means the atomic mass number has changed (number of electrons), but not the atomic number (number of protons)</p>
<p>You should learn how to balance these fairly fast btw. There were quite a few of them in my test and I wasn’t able to do them all. The only way you can learn is by practicing and creating your own strategies.</p>
<ol>
<li>Yup, the He atom doesn’t include electrons. Alpha decay gives off a positive charge, Beta = Negative, Gamma = No charge.</li>
</ol>
<p>BTW I recently came across this thread/ You might want to read through the Chemistry Section.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-subject-tests-preparation/512788-some-advice-those-taking-chem-physics-june.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-subject-tests-preparation/512788-some-advice-those-taking-chem-physics-june.html</a></p>
<ol>
<li>Cu(s) + 2NO3(aq) + 4H+(aq) ----> Cu+2(aq) + 2NO2(g) + 2H2O(l) </li>
</ol>
<p>^Why is that right and not:
<ol>
<li>Cu(s) + NO3(aq) + 2H+(aq) ----> Cu+2(aq) + NO2(g) + H2O(l)
This is actually correct.</li>
</ol>
<p>Maybe it’s an error on their part.</p>
<p>^That’s what I was thinking but since it was with ions, etc. I doubted myself and thought that I maybe hadn’t learned something from the book. Good to know that I know what I’m doing lol.</p>
<p>BTW are there polyatomic ion q’s on the test? Like PO4-, etc. (like shapes, etc.), because I saw a poster in a thread on here post a q. about bond angle for a polyatomic ion and this topic was not covered in PR (but it was in my chem class, but it was at the beginning of the year, so I don’t remember the whole process).</p>
<p>There were about one or two question on shapes of bonds but no, nothing on polyatomic ions.</p>
<p>^OK thanks.</p>
<p>Another question for you or anyone else with the PR 2009-2010 Chemistry SAT II edition. Did you (or could you) write test 3? If so (or if you don’t mind), could you comment on the difficulty compared to the other 2 tests in the book?</p>
<p>I feel like this test was much, much harder because it tested topics I didn’t even know were in the book. I have no idea what went on. I got 680 and this is just coming off an 800 on test 2 when I had 2 wrong and 1 omit. On test 1, I got 710 due to many silly errors/treated it like a diagnostic so I was new to it all. So, I could’ve gotten 760+ on Test 1.</p>
<p>This one was…just brutal. </p>
<p>Can anyone comment? I don’t know if test 3 is what the real one will
be like. If so, I’m so screwed.</p>
<p>EDIT:
There were q’s on:
-at standard conditions, has an allotrophic form that is a good elec. conductor (carbon)
-regardless of e- config., must always be paramagnetic when it’s a single, neutrally charged atom (Nitrogen)
-'a conjugate acid/base pair with differing spectral absorbencies" (chemical pH indicator)
-term used in reference to an aqeous sol’n osmotic pressure (hypotonic sol’n)
-is zero for crystalline solid that is elementally pure at 0K (entropy)</p>
<p>those are 4 of the first 14 q’s…and there were much more that made me scratch my head. please lemme know, i’m trippin’ out.</p>
<p>Hey there,
I think this equation lacks of the term (NO3)-1 in it
This, in fact, is a reaction between HNO3 and Cu and the products are Cu(NO3)2, NO2 and H2O. Also, since it occur in aqueous solution, they write it in the ion form (H+ and NO3- instead of HNO3)
Anyway, I don’t know if the missing product is intentional or not, the balance equation is:
Cu + 4NO3- + 4H+ —> Cu2+ + 2 NO3- + 2NO2 + 2H2O
Therefore, the coefficient of H+ is 4.
Hope this explain it.</p>
<p>I am personally not using the PR however, I think it may be made to be harder since it the last one? Anyways, I think you will be fine =)
I will take CHem, Math2 and Physics this Sat =((</p>